La Habra’s Clark Phillips III gains some yardage against Sunny Hills in a Freeway League football game at La Habra High Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)

La Habra wide receiver Clark Phillips III (21) scores a touchdown a touchdown as they play Diamond Ranch in their non-league game at La Habra High School in La Habra on Friday September 13, 2018. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

La Habra’s Clark Phillips III (21) is congratulated by teammate Christopher Koontz (88) after scoring a touchdown against Upland in their non-league game at La Habra High School on Friday August 17, 2018. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)

La Habra’s Clark Phillips III (21) is brought down by Upland defenders after gaining yardage in their non-league game at La Habra High School on Friday August 17, 2018. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)

La Habra All-County cornerback Clark Phillips III continues to rise as a prized recruit in the Class of 2020 but the junior has started to narrow his college choices.

Phillips (5-11, 178) recently revealed his top-12 colleges, sparking some interesting trends in the recruitment of one of the best cornerbacks in the country. If Phillips isn’t the best coverman, it might be Mater Dei junior and LSU commit Elias Ricks.

In a fascinating twist, LSU is on Phillips’ list of potential college destinations.

— A pairing with Ricks, a fellow junior, at LSU could be intriguing. The Tigers already signed the touted Derek Stingley out of Louisiana, the top-ranked corner from the Class of 2019.

— Phillips doesn’t have USC or UCLA among his finalists but he is interested in playing in the Pac-12 Conference. He has five Pac-12 teams on his board, one more than the SEC.

— Notre Dame is an FBS independent but could a serious contender because it features former Rams All-Pro Todd Lyght as its defensive backs coach.

— Phillips has been offered by Alabama and Clemson among others but the schools aren’t on his list.

— Cal offered Phillips in January.

Phillips is having a strong offseason. Last month at the Nike The Opening Regionals in Long Beach, he earned an invitation to The Opening Finals in late June in Texas.

Mater Dei’s duo of Ricks and Darion Green-Warren, also a junior, also earned invites.

So where does Phillips stand on his college recruiting?

“Working on visits for spring and summer and I may get to a top-five or just work toward a commitment,” he said this week. “No rush on a decision at this stage, though. Schools are still fighting to get back into my recruitment.”

And that’s no surprise. Phillips combines speed, explosiveness with technique and playmaking skills. This past season, he also emerged as one of the top wide receivers in Orange County. Phillips had 54 catches for over 1,200 yards and 19 TDs.

Also keep an eye on his brother, Bryce, a sophomore cornerback at La Habra. He was recently offered by Florida Atlantic and could be headed toward a breakout season with the Highlanders in the fall.

Please send football recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter

Dan Albano has been a high school sports writer at The Orange County Register since 1993. He covers football and all the aquatics: boys and girls water polo and boys and girls swimming. Dan's passion for water sports has earned him the nickname, Aqua Dan, in the newsroom and taken him to multiple U.S. Olympic Swim Trials and many USA water polo events as a reporter. He also writes about high school football recruiting, including The Register's annual FAB 15 teams that list the top high school football players in the Western U.S. before National Signing Day. He compiles the Hot 150 list of football players to watch in Orange County before each season. During football season, he also partners with Steve Fryer and Jonathan Khamis on OCVarsity.com's Gridiron Show and hosts a weekly podcast on Trinity League football. In 2015, Dan received the Bud Dwyer Jr. media award from the Southern California High School Football Coaches Association. Dan is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton, where he worked at The Daily Titan as a news reporter, sports reporter, managing editor and opinion editor.